One Last Goodbye
by 123hithatsme
Summary: Albus Potter finds the Resurrection Stone in the Forbidden Forest and wants to talk to someone.


_**A/N:**_ **Hi everyone! This is a one shot of a short story I had in my head for a while and whilst I am still writing for my first ever story Framed (check it out!) I thought why not post this too. I hope you enjoy!**

 **I do not own Harry Potter.**

Albus Severus Potter looked around nervously as he walked deeper and deeper into the Forbidden Forest. He would lose heaps of points for his house if he were caught but he was determined to finish the task he assigned to himself. A twig snapped behind him and he gasped and spun around, wand at the ready. There was nothing there.

"Come on, Albus," the boy scolded himself. "Dad's been here a few times and he's fine. You can do it."

The trees loomed over him menacingly as if scolding him for entering the forest. A thin layer of mist gathered around the ground. Albus could no longer see his feet and tripped over stones and tree roots. He stopped and took a sharp intake of air as he saw a large white unicorn in the distance. The magical creature reared up and slowly backed away as if beckoning him forward. Albus hesitated but slowly followed as the unicorn swayed his head insistently. After a few more minutes following the unicorn and tripping over more things on the hidden ground, Albus arrived at a large clearing with massive thick tree trunks fencing the area.

"This is it," the teenager gasped to himself. "This is where dad sacrificed himself and lived again."

An odd feeling of pride swept over his body as he took in the location. He remembered seeing this place in his dad's memories when he showed them his adventures he became infamous for. Albus had a sneak peak of his memories when Harry wasn't looking and saw the death of Snape. Harry had been furious and lectured his son to no end and then banned him from flying for a week. There was something painful in Harry's eyes as he talked about invading people's privacy and he explained that he made the same mistake in school and regretted it ever since.

Albus slowly walked beside a tree and ran his hand over the bark. He felt faint dark magic still festering in the wood after all these years. He pulled his hand back and saw the unicorn pawing at the ground in the distance. Curiosity got the better of him and he approached it. The unicorn lifted its hoof and Albus saw a small hole. A shiny black stone poked out from the dirt and he fell to his knees to retrieve it. He had found the Resurrection Stone. Harry had told him he dropped it on the ground before he faced Voldemort. He could talk to his grandparents, Sirius and Lupin! He held the stone and went to focus on them but stopped. They had portraits of them at home which he talked to so doing so with the stone was a waste of time. He knew exactly who he wanted to talk to and squeezed the stone tightly and shut his eyes.

"Young ," the silky voice of Severus Snape drawled.

Albus opened his eyes and saw the ghostly form of the Potion Master. "Snape?"

" _Professor_ Snape to you, boy," Snape sneered. "I may be dead but my title is not."

"You're just like dad said."

"And what did your egotistical father say about me?"

"That you were tall, never seemed to change clothes, had greasy hair and sneered a lot."

Snape did not look impressed and pulled his robes around him; the wisps of material swayed in the air. "Well Potter seemed to have outdone himself."

"He also said that you were one of the bravest men he had ever met," Albus continued. He looked up at Snape through his brilliant green eyes.

"There was nothing brave about me," Snape said without emotion.

"Nothing brave? You worked for Voldemort and Dumbledore; risking your life on a daily basis."

"It was my job. Nothing more, nothing less. Your father would have made my life a lot easier if he didn't constantly get himself into trouble every blasted year. Do everyone a favour and do not inherit your father's knack for trouble and rule breaking. Speaking of which, explain to me why you are in the middle of the forest at night, clearly past curfew?"

"I came to see where my dad sacrificed himself."

Snape ran a ghostly hand over his semi-transparent face. "Pray tell me why this is called the _Forbidden_ Forest, Potter?"

Albus seemed thrown by the question. "Uh...because it's...forbidden?"

Snape pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Damn Potter gene has got you already. Do both of us a favour and go back to the castle. I have no idea how you found this place to begin with."

"I watched dad's memories," Albus confessed.

"That is a severe invasion of privacy, young man. Your father had a habit of invading things that did not concern him."

"He showed us so we could see what he did," Albus protested. "I only saw one thing I wasn't allowed to see and he...got angry."

This piqued Snape's interest. "And what was that?"

Albus bit his lower lip. "Your...death."

Snape looked angry. "You _stupid_ boy! Death is not what children should see! Why did you see that of all memories?"

"Dad always talked about you and your bravery. He said you faced death without fear."

"I got bit by a giant snake."

"It was scary. I couldn't sleep for weeks. I had nightmares."

"Serves you right."

They remained silent for a few breaths before Albus dared to speak again.

"Did you like my dad?"

Snape looked at him intently before sighing softly. "No, no I did not. He was a troublemaker and the luckiest boy I had ever known for defying death multiple times. He was above all rules and a show off on the Quidditch field. Not exactly a desirable student."

"But that's not all is it?" Albus pressed. "It was because he looked like James, wasn't it?"

"That information does not concern you."

"It's true though, yes?"

"Enough!" Snape raised his voice. "I said it does not concern you."

Albus shrank back at the loud voice.

"But you loved Lily. That's why you told dad to look at you before you died. So you could see her eyes one last time."

Snape stiffened and clenched his jaw. "Do not torment a dead man with talks of his death and of a loved one. How insensitive can you get, Potter?"

"Oh, I...I didn't mean to offend yo-"

"Well you did. This conversation is over. Lose the stone and do not seek it again. The dead should be at rest. Even the hated deserve peace."

"You are not hated. My father admired you."

"Only after he learned the truth. And by then it was far too late."

"He named me after you."

Snape stood shocked and raised an eyebrow. "And what name was that? Dungeon Bat? Greasy Git? They were immensely popular with your father and his Gryffindor friends."

"My name is Albus Severus Potter. I am named after two of Hogwarts Headmasters and the two bravest men my father has ever met. You must have meant something to him for him to carry on your memory through his son. I also have Lily's eyes. Do you think his naming is a coincidence?"

"There is no honour in being named after a Death Eater, Potter."

"There is honour in being named after someone on the Chocolate Frog Card Collection."

"Dumbledore was always a popular card to collect."

Albus reached into his pocket and pulled out a card with a picture of Snape on it.

"Severus Tobias Snape; The greatest Potions Master of his time and former Potions Master, DADA professor and Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. A former Death Eater, he worked as a double agent for the Order of the Phoenix spying on Lord Voldemort and passed crucial information to aid in the Second Wizarding War. Died bravely at the Battle of Hogwarts."

"For Merlin's sake, now I'm a confectionary card!" Snape growled and threw his arms in the air in frustration. His non-existent robes floated lazily down to his sides.

"This was my first card, and my most treasured," Albus said sadly.

Snape looked at the young boy and pursed his lips.

"I think it is time for you to return to the castle. Do not use the stone again, throw it in the lake where no one else can use it or bury it. Do everyone a favour and do not speak of this meeting. Do your homework and stay out of trouble, do not follow your father's footsteps. Do you understand me?"

"I'll never get to see you again?" Albus asked quietly.

"It is best we don't. I am not a hero nor am I the nicest man. I dislike children and I dislike the Potter blood. If you are sent to the Headmaster's office I may speak to you through portrait but do not count on it. I'm not a sociable person and you should let dead people rest."

"Before I go, Professor Longbottom said you were scary, but now he appreciates you just as much as dad does."

"Longbottom is a professor? Well Hogwarts is doomed," Snape said in shock.

"He's an awesome Herbology Professor. Well, this is goodbye then," Albus said, unshed tears in the corner of his eyes. "It was nice to have met my former Head of House, I'm a Slytherin, just like you."

Snape stood there and didn't say a word.

"I guess what I really want to say is...thank you for protecting my dad. Without you he probably wouldn't have survived and I would not be here now. May you rest in peace," Albus said as he blasted a whole in the ground and dropped the stone in. Snape began to fade away.

"Thank you, Albus."


End file.
